Console Living Room

The Internet Archive Console Living Room harkens back to the revolution of the change in the hearth of the home, when the fireplace and later television were transformed by gaming consoles into a center of videogame entertainment. Connected via strange adapters and relying on the television's speaker to put out beeps and boops, these games were resplendent with simple graphics and simpler rules.

The home console market is credited with slowly shifting attention from the arcade craze of the early 1980s and causing arcades to shrink in popularity, leaving a small percentage of what once were many.

Through use of the JSMESS emulator system, which allows direct access to these programs in your browser with no additional plugins or settings, these games can be enjoyed again. Simply click on the screenshot or "Emulate This" button for each individual cartridge, and on modern browsers the games will just start to run. As nostalgia, a teaching tool, or just plain fun, you'll find hundreds of the games that started a billion-dollar industry.

These games are best enjoyed in an up to date version of a modern browser. Currently, there is no sound in the games, although that feature will be added soon. Please read carefully regarding key mappings of the games and programs, to use them in your browser.

Simply click on a system below to browse through available games and cartridges and try them out. Where possible, links to manuals and additional information are available for reference.

The Atari 2600 a video game console released in September 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and ROM cartridges containing game code, a format first used with the Fairchild Channel F, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in. The console was originally sold as the Atari VCS, for Video Computer System. Following the release of the Atari 5200, in 1982, the VCS was renamed "Atari 2600", after the unit's Atari part number, CX2600. The 2600 was typically bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a cartridge game—initially Combat and later Pac-Man. The Atari 2600 was wildly successful, and during much of the 1980s, "Atari" was a synonym for this model in mainstream media and, by extension, for video games in general. The Atari 2600 was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York in 2007. In 2009, the Atari 2600 was named the second greatest video game console of all time by IGN, who cited its remarkable role as the console behind both the first video game boom and the video game crash of 1983, and called it "the console that our entire industry is built upon."

The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console officially released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The 1986 launch is sometimes referred to as a "re-release" or "relaunch" because the Atari 7800 had originally been announced in May 1984, to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200, but a general release was shelved due to the sale of the company. In January 1986, the 7800 was relaunched and would compete that year with the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Master System. It had simple digital joysticks and was almost fully backward-compatible with the Atari 2600, the first console to have backward compatibility without the use of additional modules. It was considered affordable at a price of US$140.

The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console, which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered near-arcade-quality graphics and gaming style along with the means to expand the system's basic hardware. Released with a catalog of 12 launch titles, with an additional 10 games announced for 1982, approximately 145 titles in total were published as ROM cartridges for the system between 1982 and 1984.

The Magnavox Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey, in the United States as the Magnavox Odyssey² and the Philips Odyssey², and also by many other names, is a video game console released in 1978.
In the early 1970s, Magnavox was an innovator in the home video game industry. They succeeded in bringing the first home video game system to market, the Odyssey, which was quickly followed by a number of later models, each with a few technological improvements (Magnavox Odyssey Series). In 1978, Magnavox, now a subsidiary of North American Philips, released the Odyssey², its new second-generation video game console.

The Astrocade is a second generation video game console and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway, the videogame division of Bally. It was marketed only for a limited time before Bally decided to exit the market. The rights were later picked up by a third-party company, who re-released it and sold it until around 1983. The Astrocade is particularly notable for its very powerful graphics capabilities for the time of release, and for the difficulty in accessing those capabilities.

The SG-1000 (エスジー・セン Esujī Sen?), which stands for Sega Game 1000, was a cartridge-based video game console manufactured by Sega. This system marked Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business, and while the system was not popular, it provided the basis for the more successful Master System.
The SG-1000 was first released to the Japanese market on July 15, 1983. Incidentally, this is exactly the same day that Nintendo's Family Computer was released. The console reached minor success in that market and sold moderately well within Asia until 1985. The system was launched in New Zealand as released by Grandstand Leisure Limited, Australia by John Sands and in other countries, such as France, Italy, Spain, and South Africa. The console in its original form was never launched in North America or the UK.

The Emerson Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit console released by Emerson Radio Corp in 1982 following the release of ColecoVision. It was discontinued only 18 months later, with a total of 35 games having been released. Emerson licensed the Arcadia 2001 to Bandai which released it in Japan, and over 30 Arcadia clones exist.

The Watara SuperVision (also known as the QuickShot Supervision in the UK) is a monochrome handheld game console, originating from Asia, and introduced in 1992 as a cut-price competitor for Nintendo's Game Boy. It came packaged with a game called Crystball, which is similar to Breakout. One unique feature of the Supervision was that it could be linked up to a television via a link cable. Games played in this way would display in four colors, much like Nintendo's Super Game Boy add-on for the SNES. A full color TV link was also in the works, but because of the Supervision's failure to make a major impression among gamers it was cancelled, along with the games which were in development for it.

The APF-MP1000 is an early 8-bit cartridge-based game console released in 1978 by APF Electronics Inc. The controllers are non-detachable joysticks which also have numeric keypads. The APF-MP1000 can only be used with a color TV and comes built-in with the game Rocket Patrol. The APF-MP1000 is a part of the APF Imagination Machine. It is the successor to the APF TV Fun line of first generation consoles.

The Entec Adventurevision is a self-contained (no external monitor is required) cartridge-based video game console released by Entex Industries in 1982. One particular feature of the Adventure Vision is its "monitor." Rather than using an LCD screen or an external television set like other systems of the time, the Adventure Vision uses a single vertical line of 40 red LEDs combined with a spinning mirror inside the casing. This allows for a screen resolution of 150 × 40 pixels. Another product using this technique was produced by Nintendo in the mid 1990s – the Virtual Boy – another product which, while technically ahead of its time like the Adventure Vision, was doomed to failure in the open market.

The Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in November 1976 at the retail price of $169.95 (equivalent to $700 in 2014). It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge–based video game console, and the first console to use a microprocessor. It was launched as the Video Entertainment System, or VES, but when Atari released their VCS the next year, Fairchild renamed its machine. By 1977, the Fairchild Channel F had sold 250,000 units and trailed behind the VCS. The Channel F electronics were designed by Jerry Lawson using the Fairchild F8 CPU, the first public outing of this processor. The F8 was very complex compared to the typical integrated circuits of the day, and had more inputs and outputs than other contemporary chips. Because chip packaging was not available with enough pins, the F8 was instead fabricated as a pair of chips that had to be used together to form a complete CPU.

The Master System (マスターシステム Masutā Shisutemu?), often called the Sega Master System or SMS, is an 8-bit third-generation video game console that was manufactured by Sega. It was originally released in 1985 as the Sega Mark III in Japan and then redesigned and redesignated the Master System for release in 1986 in North America, 1987 in Europe and Japan, and 1989 in Brazil. The original Master System could play both cartridges and the credit card-sized "Sega Cards," which retailed for cheaper prices than cartridges but had lower storage capacity, while later models removed the card slot. The Master System also featured accessories such as a light gun and 3D glasses which were designed to work with a range of specially coded games.

The Amstrad GX-4000 is Amstrad's short-lived attempt to enter the games console market. The console was released in Europe in 1990 and was an upgraded design based on the then still-popular CPC technology. The GX4000 shared hardware architecture with Amstrad's CPC Plus computer line, which was released concurrently. This allowed the system to be compatible with the majority of CPC Plus software. The GX4000 was both Amstrad's first and only attempt at entering the console market. Although offering enhanced graphics capabilities, it failed to gain popularity in the market, and was quickly discontinued, selling 15,000 units in total.

The Sega Genesis, also known as Mega Drive (Japanese: メガドライブ Hepburn: Mega Doraibu?) in most regions outside North America, is a 16-bit video game console which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Designed by an R&D team supervised by Masami Ishikawa, the Genesis hardware was adapted from Sega's System 16 arcade board, centered around a Motorola 68000 processor as a primary CPU and a Zilog Z80 as a secondary processor. The system supports a library of over 900 games created both by Sega and a wide array of third-party publishers and delivered on ROM-based cartridges. It can also play the complete library of Master System games when the separately sold Power Base Converter is installed. The Genesis also benefited from numerous peripherals and several network services, as well as multiple first-party and third-party variations of the console that focused on extending its functionality. By the end of 1994, when a new generation of 32-bit consoles rendered the system technologically obsolete, the Genesis had sold 29 million units worldwide, and by the end of its life Sega had sold an estimated 40 million units.

The Epoch Game Pocket Computer is a handheld game console released by Epoch in Japan in 1984. It was one of the very few truly handheld systems to be released in the early 1980s, preceding the Game Boy by 5 years. The Game Pocket Computer used an LCD screen with a 75 × 64 resolution, and could produce graphics at about the same level as early Atari 2600 games. The system was a failure in Japan, and as a result, only 5 games were made for it. A puzzle game and a paint program were built into the system. It was powered by 4 AA batteries, and screen's brightness could be adjusted by the user. Possibly due to its failure in Japan, the Game Pocket Computer was never released in North America. The unit is extremely rare, and units on eBay can go for hundreds of dollars, when and if they turn up.

The Mega Duck WG-108 (also known as Cougar Boy) is a handheld game console that was produced by Hong Kong-based Welback Holdings through its Timlex International division and came on the market in 1993. It was marketed under various different brands worldwide including Creatronic and Videojet. It was sold for about fl 129 in the Netherlands, and for a similar price in France and Germany. In South America (mainly in Brazil), the Chinese-made Creatronic version was distributed by Cougar USA, also known as "Cougar Electronic Organization", and sold as the "Cougar Boy".

The Sega Game Gear (セガゲームギア) is a handheld video game console developed by Sega and released in late 1990 as a response to Nintendo's Game Boy handheld . It is a full colour console and was Sega's first attempt to compete in the handheld games market (the second being the Sega Nomad — a handheld Sega Mega Drive). In South Korea it is known as the Handy Gam*Boy (핸디겜보이). The Sega Game Gear is a "portable" device which was designed to address problems with Nintendo's Game Boy. It is held lengthwise at the sides (preventing the cramping of hands which plagued Nintendo's system) and has a backlit, colour LCD screen, allowing for clearer and more vibrant visuals than its main rival. Similarly to the Sega Mega Drive, which at the time was Sega's main focus in the home console market, the Sega Game Gear is derived from the earlier Sega Master System. Unlike the Mega Drive, however, the Game Gear is largely identical to the Master System, the major difference being a VDP capable of displaying palettes consisting of a wider variety of colors, and the playback of stereo sound. Game Gear games traditionally run at a smaller resolution too, although with a screen built similarily to televisions of the era, the Game Gear is fully capable of playing games in higher resolutions. Game Gears were also manufactured at a time where capacitor problems were rampant across the electronics industry. As a result, screen and audio failures are common, and fixes are not always simple.

The Epoch Super Cassette Vision (カセットビジョン Kasetto Bijon?) was a video game console made by Epoch and released in Japan on July 30, 1981.
The console used cartridges and it has the distinction of being the first successful programmable console video game system to be made in Japan. The system retailed for 13,500 yen, with games going for 4,000. It is believed, though not confirmed, that Sega and/or SNK made games for the Cassette Vision. Its graphics were less refined than the Atari 2600, and the only controls were four knobs (two to a player, one for horizontal movement, one for vertical) built into the console itself, along with two fire buttons to a player. Though the Cassette Vision was not a fantastic seller, it managed to spawn off a smaller, cheaper version called the Cassette Vision Jr. and a successor called the Super Cassette Vision. The latter was released in 1984, and was sold in Europe, with little success. Except for their failed Game Pocket Computer handheld system, Epoch never had another system released.

The Bandai Super Vision 8000 is a video game console released by Bandai in 1979 belonging to the second generation. The console can be directly connected to a TV.
This console was the last of the Bandai TV Jack console series but was completely different from the other consoles of the series. The Super Vision 8000 had a central CPU. The other consoles belonged to the first generation: they didn't feature a microprocessor, and were based on custom codeless state machine computers consisting of discrete logic circuits comprising each element of the game itself (Pong-style console).

The VTech Socrates is an educational video game console released in 1988 by VTech. The console featured a robot character Socrates, named after the philosopher. The character is visually similar to Johnny Five from the Short Circuit movies. The system featured standard wireless controllers that communicated via infrared reception. In Germany, the system was sold by "Yeno" under the name "Prof. Weiss-Alles". The graphics and sound of the games were noticeably slow, with the system often taking several seconds to complete drawing and color filling a static picture; small areas could move more quickly. There was a very noticeable delay between user input and the system responding. Response times did not seem to be affected by the presence or absence of the voice cartridge. The system was quite expensive upon its initial release; most consoles saw prices of up to $130. Due to the price and the competition with VTech's other products, including the Whiz Kid systems, the Socrates was phased out after only a few years. Today, it is considered rare.

The Super A'Can is a console that was released exclusively in Taiwan in 1995 by Funtech. Inside is a Motorola 68000, also used in the Sega Genesis and Neo Geo. Twelve games have been confirmed to exist for the system. The twelve (12) confirmed games, with an additional nine (9) protos rumored to be in existence, were released in rather large, SNES-like cartridges. Games were presented in cardboard boxes featuring flamboyant artwork and included a plastic game holder along with the instruction manual (also well presented). This matched the fun and playful design of the systems packaging. Overall game graphics and play are very similar to the Neo Geo and SNES. Bold, vibrant colors are pleasantly displayed in 2D environments. One of the best games for this system is C.U.G., a Super Mario type clone. The Super A'Can failed miserably due to utilizing outdated technology and being initially offered for sale at an exorbitant price. Very few of these systems were sold and it has been reported that Funtech Entertainment Corporation lost $6 million USD in this venture. Unsold units were disassembled and were parted out to various companies in the USA and abroad.

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Originally released in June 1984, the Atari 7800 was the successor to Atari's 5200. A victim of unfortunate timing, the 7800 was released shortly before the great video game crash of 1983. Re-launched by Atari in 1986 as a competitor to the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Master System, the Atari 7800 was backwards compatible with original Atari 2600 titles. In 2009, IGN chose the 7800 to be their 17th best video game console of all time. They justified this relatively low ranking... Topics: Atari 7800, Console, Atari, 7800

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From Atari Age , by Mitchell Orman: If you were looking for an official Atari manual then I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed. Atari never released the 7800 service manual that would have included the information about the Diagnostic Test Cartridge. With this page I am going to try and document some of the things that I have discovered about it. The main purpose of the Diagnostic Cartridge would seem to be the adjustment of the 7800 specific color pot. The other color pot and sundry...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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The Sega Genesis, known as Mega Drive (Japanese: メガドライブ Hepburn: Mega Doraibu?) in most regions outside North America, is a 16-bit video game console which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega first released the console as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by a North American debut under the Genesis moniker in 1989. In 1990, the console was released as the Mega Drive by Virgin...

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The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in September 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and ROM cartridges containing game code, a format first used with the Fairchild Channel F, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in. The console was originally sold as the Atari VCS, for Video Computer System. Following the release of the Atari 5200, in 1982, the VCS was renamed "Atari 2600",...

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The Sega Game Gear (セガゲームギア) is a handheld video game console developed by Sega and released in late 1990 as a response to Nintendo's Game Boy handheld . It is a full colour console and was Sega's first attempt to compete in the handheld games market (the second being the Sega Nomad — a handheld Sega Mega Drive). In South Korea it is known as the Handy Gam*Boy (핸디겜보이). The Sega Game Gear is a "portable" device which was designed to address problems with...

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The Master System (マスターシステム Masutā Shisutemu?), often called the Sega Master System or SMS, is an 8-bit third-generation video game console that was manufactured by Sega. It was originally released in 1985 as the Sega Mark III in Japan and then redesigned and redesignated the Master System for release in 1986 in North America, 1987 in Europe and Japan, and 1989 in Brazil. The original Master System could play both cartridges and the credit card-sized "Sega Cards,"...

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PlayStation (Japanese: プレイステーション Hepburn: Pureisutēshon, abbreviated as PS) is a gaming brand that consists of four home video game consoles, as well as a media center, an online service, a line of controllers, two handhelds and a phone, as well as multiple magazines. It is created and owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment since December 3, 1994, with the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan.&nbsp;&nbsp; The original PlayStation, released in Japan on December...

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The Bandai Super Vision 8000 is a video game console released by Bandai in 1979 belonging to the second generation. The console can be directly connected to a TV. This console was the last of the Bandai TV Jack console series but was completely different from the other consoles of the series. The Super Vision 8000 had a central CPU. The other consoles belonged to the first generation: they didn't feature a microprocessor, and were based on custom codeless state machine computers consisting of...

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The APF-MP1000 is an early 8-bit cartridge-based game console released in 1978 by APF Electronics Inc. The controllers are non-detachable joysticks which also have numeric keypads. The APF-MP1000 can only be used with a color TV and comes built-in with the game Rocket Patrol. The APF-MP1000 is a part of the APF Imagination Machine. It is the successor to the APF TV Fun line of first generation consoles. Default Cartridge Backgammon Baseball Blackjack Boxing Bowling Brickdown Catena Casino...

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The Mega Duck WG-108 (also known as Cougar Boy) is a handheld game console that was produced by Hong Kong-based Welback Holdings through its Timlex International division and came on the market in 1993. It was marketed under various different brands worldwide including Creatronic and Videojet. It was sold for about fl 129 in the Netherlands, and for a similar price in France and Germany. In South America (mainly in Brazil), the Chinese-made Creatronic version was distributed by Cougar USA, also...

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The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console, which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered near-arcade-quality graphics and gaming style along with the means to expand the system's basic hardware. Released with a catalog of 12 launch titles, with an additional 10 games announced for 1982, approximately 145 titles in total were published as ROM cartridges for the system between 1982 and 1984. Coleco licensed Nintendo's Donkey Kong as the...

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The Epoch Game Pocket Computer is a handheld game console released by Epoch in Japan in 1984. It was one of the very few truly handheld systems to be released in the early 1980s, preceding the Game Boy by 5 years. The Game Pocket Computer used an LCD screen with a 75 × 64 resolution, and could produce graphics at about the same level as early Atari 2600 games. The system was a failure in Japan, and as a result, only 5 games were made for it. A puzzle game and a paint program were built into...

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The VTech Socrates was an educational video game console released in 1988 by VTech. The console featured a robot character Socrates, named after the philosopher. The character is visually similar to Johnny Five from the Short Circuit movies. The system featured standard wireless controllers that communicated via infrared reception. In Germany, the system was sold by "Yeno" under the name "Prof. Weiss-Alles" Many games cartridges were available for the Socrates including:...

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Daze Before Christmas is a video game developed by Norwegian video game development company Funcom and originally released by Sunsoft onto the Sega Mega Drive in 1994 exclusively in Australia. A version was also released for the Super NES both in Europe (only in Germany) and Australia. A North American release was planned however it was canceled. It is one of the last games to be released by Sunsoft's USA division. The game is one of the few Christmas-themed video games to see commercial...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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The Emerson Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit console released by Emerson Radio Corp in 1982 following the release of ColecoVision. It was discontinued only 18 months later, with a total of 35 games having been released. Emerson licensed the Arcadia 2001 to Bandai which released it in Japan, and over 30 Arcadia clones exist. The Arcadia is much smaller than its contemporary competitors and is powered by a standard 12-volt power supply so it can be used in a boat or a vehicle. This...

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The Watara Supervision (also known as the QuickShot Supervision in the UK) is a monochrome handheld game console, originating from Asia, and introduced in 1992 as a cut-price competitor for Nintendo's Game Boy. It came packaged with a game called Crystball, which is similar to Breakout. One unique feature of the Supervision was that it could be linked up to a television via a link cable. Games played in this way would display in four colors, much like Nintendo's Super Game Boy add-on for the...

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The Magnavox Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey, in the United States as the Magnavox Odyssey² and the Philips Odyssey², and also by many other names, is a video game console released in 1978. In the early 1970s, Magnavox was an innovator in the home video game industry. They succeeded in bringing the first home video game system to market, the Odyssey, which was quickly followed by a number of later models, each with a few technological...

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Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is the second best-selling game made for the Atari 2600 (after Pac-Man), with over 4 million copies sold. The player must maneuver a character (Pitfall Harry) through a maze-like jungle in an attempt to recover 32 treasures in a 20-minute time period. Along the way, he must negotiate numerous hazards, including pits, quicksand, rolling logs, fire, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and crocodiles. Harry may jump over or...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 9 reviews )

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The Super A'can is a console that was released exclusively in Taiwan in 1995 by Funtech. Inside is a Motorola 68000, also used in the Sega Genesis and Neo Geo. Twelve games have been confirmed to exist for the system. The twelve (12) confirmed games, with an additional nine (9) protos rumored to be in existence, were released in rather large, SNES-like cartridges. Games were presented in cardboard boxes featuring flamboyant artwork and included a plastic game holder along with the instruction...

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The Adventure Vision is a self-contained (no external monitor is required) cartridge-based video game console released by Entex Industries in 1982. The Adventure Vision was Entex's second generation system. Their first console was the Entex Select-A-Game, released a year earlier in 1981. Control is through a single multi-position joystick and two sets of four buttons, one on each side of the joystick, for ease of play by both left- and right-handed players. One particular feature of the...

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Wiz 'n' Liz: The Frantic Wabbit Wescue is a side-scrolling video game developed by Raising Hell Software for the Amiga and Sega Mega Drive and published by Psygnosis in 1993. It is a humorous, cutesy platform game, notable for its almost complete lack of violence. With the exception of some end-of-level bosses, the game contains no enemies. Wiz 'n' Liz takes place in the magical planet of Pum – which the game admits is a silly name – where a group of "wabbits" (rabbits) have been...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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The Vectrex was a home console system that was unique in the field due to the use of a built-in vector monitor to display the games. Introduced in June of 1982 by General Consumer Electronics (GCE) at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it was available for retail purchase at $199 in October of that same year. In March of 1983, Milton Bradley purchased GCE and began distributing the Vectrex to a more expansive distribution network, to some success. However, changes in the market caused... Topic: video game

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The SG-1000 (エスジー・セン Esujī Sen?), which stands for Sega Game 1000, was a cartridge-based video game console manufactured by Sega. This system marked Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business, and while the system was not popular, it provided the basis for the more successful Master System. The SG-1000 was first released to the Japanese market on July 15, 1983. Incidentally, this is exactly the same day that Nintendo's Family Computer was released. The console...

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Click here to view the manual to this game. River Raid is a scrolling shooter video game designed and developed by Carol Shaw, and published by Activision in 1982 for the Atari 2600 video game console. Activision later ported the title to the Atari 5200, ColecoVision, and Intellivision game consoles, as well as to the Commodore 64, IBM PCjr, MSX, ZX Spectrum, and Atari 8-bit family home computers. Viewing from a top-down perspective, the player flies a fighter jet over the River of No Return in...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 6 reviews )

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Mortal Kombat is an arcade fighting game developed and published by Midway Games in 1992 as the first title in the Mortal Kombat series. It was subsequently released by Acclaim Entertainment for nearly every home video game platform of the time. The game introduced many key aspects of the Mortal Kombat series, including the unique five-button control scheme and gory finishing moves. The game focuses on the journey of the monk Liu Kang to save Earth from the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung, ending...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 3 reviews )

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Lemmings is a puzzle-platformer video game originally developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis for the Amiga in 1991. The basic objective of the game is to guide a group of humanoid lemmings through a number of obstacles to a designated exit. In order to save the required number of lemmings to win, one must determine how to assign a limited number of eight different skills to specific lemmings that allow the selected lemming to alter the landscape, to affect the behavior of other...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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The Astrocade is a second generation video game console and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway, the videogame division of Bally. It was marketed only for a limited time before Bally decided to exit the market. The rights were later picked up by a third-party company, who re-released it and sold it until around 1983. The Astrocade is particularly notable for its very powerful graphics capabilities for the time of release, and for the difficulty in accessing those capabilities....

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The Shoot 'Em Up Construction Kit was a popular, easy-to-use piece of game creation software for the Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST home computers, developed by Sensible Software and first published in 1987.

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The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in November 1976 at the retail price of $169.95 (equivalent to $700 in 2014). It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge–based video game console, and the first console to use a microprocessor. It was launched as the Video Entertainment System, or VES, but when Atari released their VCS the next year, Fairchild renamed its machine. By 1977, the Fairchild Channel F had sold 250,000 units and...

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Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Sonikku za Hejjihoggu?) is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. First released in North America, Europe, and Australia on June 23, 1991, the game is the first installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, chronicling the adventures of the titular character in his quest to defeat the series' antagonist Dr. Robotnik. The game's story focuses on Sonic's efforts to stop Dr....favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 3 reviews )

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The Lion King is a video game based on Disney's popular animated film. The title was published by Virgin Interactive in 1994, and was released on SNES, NES, Game Boy, PC, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, Master System and Game Gear. The NES and Master System versions of the game were never released in North America because this is the final game for the former system released in Europe. A PlayStation launch title was going to be released in Japan but was cancelled for unknown reasons. The game...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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Walt Disney's The Jungle Book is a series of video games based on the 1967 Disney animated film The Jungle Book, primarily released in 1994. It was first released by Virgin Interactive in 1993 for the Sega Master System. Conversions for the Game Boy, NES (for which it was one of the last titles released by a third-party developer), Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Super NES, and PC followed in 1994, and a remake for the Game Boy Advance was released in 2003. While gameplay is the same...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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Click here to view the manual to this game. Frogger is an arcade game introduced in 1981. It was developed by Konami, and licensed for worldwide distribution by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one. To do this, each frog must avoid cars while crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of hazards. Skillful players may obtain some bonuses along the way. The game is regarded as a classic from the golden age of video arcade games and was noted for...favoritefavoritefavorite ( 3 reviews )

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The Epoch Cassette Vision (カセットビジョン Kasetto Bijon?) was a video game console made by Epoch and released in Japan on July 30, 1981. The console used cartridges and it has the distinction of being the first successful programmable console video game system to be made in Japan. The system retailed for 13,500 yen, with games going for 4,000. It is believed, though not confirmed, that Sega and/or SNK made games for the Cassette Vision. Its graphics were less refined than the Atari...

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Disney's Aladdin is a series of platformer video games based on the 1992 motion picture of the same name. The series consists of three drastically different games: one developed by Virgin Interactive for the Sega Mega Drive, which was ported to various other formats, another developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which was later ported to the Game Boy Advance, and a final version developed by SIMS for the Sega Master System and Game Gear. Disney's Aladdin for the Mega...

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The GX4000 was Amstrad's short-lived attempt to enter the games console market. The console was released in Europe in 1990 and was an upgraded design based on the then still-popular CPC technology. The GX4000 shared hardware architecture with Amstrad's CPC Plus computer line, which was released concurrently. This allowed the system to be compatible with the majority of CPC Plus software. The GX4000 was both Amstrad's first and only attempt at entering the console market. Although offering...

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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ2 Sonikku za Hejjihoggu Tsū?) is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team and Sega Technical Institute, and published by Sega. The game is an installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and focuses on the protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog and his friend, a fox named Miles "Tails" Prower, who must stop the series antagonist Dr. Ivo Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his Death Egg space station. Originally...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 5 reviews )

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Aladdin 1994 Sega Developed by SIMS Co., Ltd. Released 1994 Also For SEGA Master System Published by SEGA of America, Inc. ESRB Rating Everyone Genre Action Visual 2D scrolling Gameplay Platform Perspective Side view Misc Licensed Description Sega's 8-bit systems received a unique adaptation of Disney's 1992 animated film Aladdin . Like other versions, it is a side-scrolling action game. The player controls Aladdin, making his way through a variety of locations, including the streets of...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 4 reviews )

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Click here to read the manual for this game. Asteroids is a conversion of the arcade game of the same name. Play the role of a spaceship pilot trapped in a gigantic asteroid cloud and pulverize incoming asteroids with the ship's photon cannon. When all asteroids are destroyed, the player can then move on to the next round. In addition to the asteroids, the player will also face an Alien Robot Saucer which shoots randomly across the screen. The player using the controller may rotate the ship...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 5 reviews )

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Dig Dug (ディグダグ Digu Dagu?) is an arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan in 1982 for Namco Galaga hardware. It was later published outside of Japan by Atari, Inc.. A popular game based on a simple concept, it was also released as a video game on many consoles. The objective of Dig Dug is to eliminate underground-dwelling monsters by inflating them with an air pump until they pop, or by dropping rocks on them. There are two kinds of enemies in the game: Pookas - A race of...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 5 reviews )

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Each time you turn on SPACE INVADERS you will be at war with enemies from space who are threatening the earth. Your objective is to destroy these invaders by firing your "laser cannon." You must wipe out the invaders either before they reach the earth (bottom of the screen), or before they hit you three times with their "laser bombs." Your long-term objective is to score as many points as possible. Points are scored each time you hit one of the SPACE INVADERS. They are worth...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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Custer's Revenge is a controversial video game made for the Atari 2600 by Mystique, a company that produced a number of adult video game titles for the system. The player character is based on General George Armstrong Custer. The game was first released on October 13, 1982, and has received significant criticism because of its crude simulation of a rape of a Native American woman. In the game, the player controls the character of Custer, depicted as a man wearing nothing but a cavalry hat,...favoritefavorite ( 4 reviews )

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Mortal Kombat II (commonly abbreviated as MKII) is a competitive fighting game originally produced by Midway Games for the arcades in 1993. It was later ported to multiple home systems, including the PC, Amiga, Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and various PlayStation consoles. Mortal Kombat II was the second game in the Mortal Kombat series, improving the gameplay and expanding the mythos of the original Mortal Kombat, notably introducing... ( 1 reviews )

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Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game series by Electronic Arts in which the player participates in violent, illegal street races. The series started on the Mega Drive and made its way to various other systems over the years. The game's title is based on the slang term for the severe friction burns that can occur in a motorcycle fall where skin comes into contact with the ground at high speed. The first Road Rash debuted on the Mega Drive in 1991. The game takes place in...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 3 reviews )

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Golden Axe (ゴールデンアックス) is a side-scrolling, beat 'em up, hack and slash arcade video game released in 1989 by Sega for the System 16-B arcade hardware. It is the first game in the Golden Axe series. Makoto Uchida was the primary developer of the game and also was responsible for the creation of Altered Beast. The game was ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System, among others. The game takes place in the fictional land of Yuria, a Conan the Barbarian-style high...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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Click here to view the manual to this game. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is a scrolling shooter video game published by Parker Brothers in 1982 for the Atari 2600 and in 1983 for the Mattel Intellivision. It was the first Star Wars video game. In the game, the player controls a snowspeeder to battle against Imperial AT-AT walkers on the planet Hoth. The goal is to hold off the walkers as long as possible before they blow up the power generator at the Rebels' Echo Base. The difficulty...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 5 reviews )

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The Neo Geo Pocket is a monochrome handheld video game console released by SNK. It was the company's first handheld system and is part of the Neo Geo family. It debuted in Japan in late 1998, however never saw a western release, being exclusive to Japan and smaller Asian markets such as Hong Kong. The Neo Geo Pocket is considered to be an unsuccessful console. Lower than expected sales resulted in its discontinuation in 1999, and was immediately succeeded by the Neo Geo Pocket Color, a full...

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Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari to market video games they published for home systems made by their competitors. They published only 4 games for Colecovision. Galaxian and Jungle Hunt are hard to find, but Centipede and Defender are common. Unfortunately, Atarisoft never released Pac-Man on Colecovision. This port of Pac-Man was completed, and had many of the aspects of Namco's original Pac-Man. It is superior to most other ports by Atarisoft.favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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Sonic Compilation is a video game compilation released in 1995 for the Sega Mega Drive. It contains three previously released Sonic titles: Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine In 1997, the Genesis version was released in North America under the name Sonic Classics 3 in 1 (making it the final Sonic game released for the console). Sonic Compilation was the first collection of multiple Sonic games on one cartridge. In some locations, it was bundled with the...

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Tetris (Russian: Те́трис, pronounced [ˈtɛtrʲɪs]) is a Soviet tile-matching puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow. He derived its name from the Greek numerical prefix tetra- (all of the game's pieces contain four segments) and tennis, Pajitnov's favorite sport. It is also the first entertainment software to be...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television". Over 3 million Intellivision units were sold and a total of 125 games were released for the console. The Intellivision was developed by Mattel Electronics, a subsidiary of Mattel formed expressly for the development of...

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Mortal Kombat 3 (MK3) is a fighting game developed by Midway Games and first released into arcades in 1995 as the third game in the Mortal Kombat series. As in the previous games, it has a cast of characters that players choose from and guide through a series of battles against other opponents. The game avoids the tournament storyline of its predecessors, as various warriors instead fight against the returning Shao Kahn, who has resurrected his bride Sindel and started an invasion of...favoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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Space Invaders (スペースインベーダー) is a 1979 milestone arcade game developed by Taito. The player controls a gun which can move left or right, and needs to destroy waves of aliens (or "invaders") before they reach the ground. Space Invaders was brought to a variety of home video game consoles and computers, including the SG-1000 in 1985. Surprisingly the SG-1000 port of the game was one of the most accurate of its time, surpassing the NES and MSX versions which were the...

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Click here or here to read the manual for this game. Adventure , a video game cartridge for the Atari 2600 video game console, was the first action-adventure video game. It was published by Atari Inc. in 1978, and sold 1 million copies. Adventure introduced the idea of movable objects (represented by visible icons) that could be picked up by the player (using a joystick) and moved from place to place in the game world. It was also one of the first video games to allow the player to explore a...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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Contra: Hard Corps, released in Japan as Contra: The Hard Corps (魂斗羅 ザ・ハードコア?) and in Europe and Australia as Probotector, is a side-scrolling run and gun-style shoot-'em-up video game released by Konami for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994. It is part of the Contra series and serves as a follow-up to Contra III: The Alien Wars. The plot takes place several years after the events of that game. Contra: Hard Corps follows the same gameplay as its predecessors. New features...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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Set in a post-apocalyptic New York, Double Dragon is the story of Billy and Jimmy Lee, twin brothers trained in the fighting style of Sou-Setsu-Ken. Together, they manage a small martial arts training school, teaching their students in self-defense. One day, Billy's girlfriend, Marian, is kidnapped off the street by the "Black Warriors", a savage street gang led by a man named Willy. The Black Warriors demand the Lee brothers disclose their martial arts secrets in exchange for...

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The Video Technology CreatiVision was a hybrid computer and video game console introduced by VTech in 1981. The hybrid unit was similar in concept to computers such as the APF Imagination Machine, the older VideoBrain Family Computer, and to a lesser extent the Intellivision game console and Coleco Adam computer, all of which anticipated the trend of video game consoles becoming more like low-end computers. The CreatiVision was distributed in many European countries, in South Africa, in Israel...

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Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game by Atari Games. The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. The game was ported to numerous video game consoles and personal computers. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) version represented the first NES game developed in the United States and coincidentally, the Sega Master System version represented the first SMS game developed in the United Kingdom. Paperboy was innovative for its theme and novel...

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Click here to view the manual to this game. Atari's Pole Position was a hot arcade title back in the early 80's. Activision's take on the genre starts with the basic racing premise of Pole Position and expands upon it in several ways. In Enduro , you must pass as many cars as possible in a single "day." You will do this in sunshine, in the fog, at night, and also in the snow. Gameplay requires quick reflexes at high speeds as you fly by the other cars on the road. Like other...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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Worms is an artillery strategy video game developed by Team17 and released in 1995. It is the first game in the Worms series of video games and was initially only available for the Amiga. Later it was ported to other platforms. Worms is a turn based game where a player controls a team of worms against other teams of worms that are controlled by a computer or human opponent. The aim is to use various weapons to kill the worms on the other teams and have the last surviving worm(s). The game was...

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, released in Europe as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist and in Japan as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return of the Shredder is a side-scrolling beat 'em up based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, and was also the first TMNT game released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. April O'Neil is reporting from Ellis Island when, in a sudden flash of light, her audience and herself witness Manhattan Island suddenly...

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Shadowrun is an action role-playing game for the Sega Genesis, never released for european or japanese systems (Sega Megadrive). Adapted from the cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun by FASA, developed by BlueSky Software and released in 1994. The game is the second in a Shadowrun series of video game adaptations and has a more open ended style of gameplay than its 1993 precursor, Shadowrun by Beam Software. Shadowrun offers the player an open style of gameplay, where one controls the main...favoritefavoritefavorite ( 4 reviews )

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To view the manual for this game, go here . Pickaxe Pete is similar in many ways to Donkey Kong . You play a miner named Pickaxe Pete, and you start off in the middle of the screen with a pick-axe. There are three doors from which boulders are coming, bouncing down the mine-shafts; every time Pete destroys one of these he gains 3 points, although the axe wears out after a while and disappears. When two boulders collide, they explode, and out comes either a pick-axe which floats to the bottom of...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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Prince of Persia is a fantasy platform game, originally developed by Jordan Mechner and released in 1989 for the Apple II, that represented a great leap forward in the quality of animation seen in video games. After the original release on the Apple II, Prince of Persia was ported to a wide range of platforms. The game managed to surprise and captivate the player despite being at first glance, repetitive. This was achieved by interspersing intelligent puzzles and deadly traps all along the path...

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Road Rash II is the second game in a series of motorcycle-racing video games by Electronic Arts. It was released in 1993 for the Sega Mega Drive. It is based heavily on the engine and sprites of the first game. Road Rash II introduced several new features to the series, including bikes with nitrous oxide injection and varied weapons. The races took place in the U.S. states of Alaska, Hawaii, Tennessee, Arizona, and Vermont, on progressively longer two-lane roads. Races would be won by placing...favoritefavoritefavorite ( 3 reviews )

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The Internet Archive Console Living Room harkens back to the revolution of the change in the hearth of the home, when the fireplace and later television were transformed by gaming consoles into a center of videogame entertainment. Connected via strange adapters and relying on the television's speaker to put out beeps and boops, these games were resplendent with simple graphics and simpler rules.

The home console market is credited with slowly shifting attention from the arcade craze of the early 1980s and causing arcades to shrink in popularity, leaving a small percentage of what once were many.

Through use of the JSMESS emulator system, which allows direct access to these programs in your browser with no additional plugins or settings, these games can be enjoyed again. Simply click on the screenshot or "Emulate This" button for each individual cartridge, and on modern browsers the games will just start to run. As nostalgia, a teaching tool, or just plain fun, you'll find hundreds of the games that started a billion-dollar industry.

These games are best enjoyed in an up to date version of a modern browser. Currently, there is no sound in the games, although that feature will be added soon. Please read carefully regarding key mappings of the games and programs, to use them in your browser.

Simply click on a system below to browse through available games and cartridges and try them out. Where possible, links to manuals and additional information are available for reference.

The Atari 2600 a video game console released in September 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and ROM cartridges containing game code, a format first used with the Fairchild Channel F, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in. The console was originally sold as the Atari VCS, for Video Computer System. Following the release of the Atari 5200, in 1982, the VCS was renamed "Atari 2600", after the unit's Atari part number, CX2600. The 2600 was typically bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a cartridge game—initially Combat and later Pac-Man. The Atari 2600 was wildly successful, and during much of the 1980s, "Atari" was a synonym for this model in mainstream media and, by extension, for video games in general. The Atari 2600 was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York in 2007. In 2009, the Atari 2600 was named the second greatest video game console of all time by IGN, who cited its remarkable role as the console behind both the first video game boom and the video game crash of 1983, and called it "the console that our entire industry is built upon."

The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console officially released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The 1986 launch is sometimes referred to as a "re-release" or "relaunch" because the Atari 7800 had originally been announced in May 1984, to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200, but a general release was shelved due to the sale of the company. In January 1986, the 7800 was relaunched and would compete that year with the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Master System. It had simple digital joysticks and was almost fully backward-compatible with the Atari 2600, the first console to have backward compatibility without the use of additional modules. It was considered affordable at a price of US$140.

The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console, which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered near-arcade-quality graphics and gaming style along with the means to expand the system's basic hardware. Released with a catalog of 12 launch titles, with an additional 10 games announced for 1982, approximately 145 titles in total were published as ROM cartridges for the system between 1982 and 1984.

The Magnavox Odyssey², known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey, in the United States as the Magnavox Odyssey² and the Philips Odyssey², and also by many other names, is a video game console released in 1978.
In the early 1970s, Magnavox was an innovator in the home video game industry. They succeeded in bringing the first home video game system to market, the Odyssey, which was quickly followed by a number of later models, each with a few technological improvements (Magnavox Odyssey Series). In 1978, Magnavox, now a subsidiary of North American Philips, released the Odyssey², its new second-generation video game console.

The Astrocade is a second generation video game console and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway, the videogame division of Bally. It was marketed only for a limited time before Bally decided to exit the market. The rights were later picked up by a third-party company, who re-released it and sold it until around 1983. The Astrocade is particularly notable for its very powerful graphics capabilities for the time of release, and for the difficulty in accessing those capabilities.

The SG-1000 (エスジー・セン Esujī Sen?), which stands for Sega Game 1000, was a cartridge-based video game console manufactured by Sega. This system marked Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business, and while the system was not popular, it provided the basis for the more successful Master System.
The SG-1000 was first released to the Japanese market on July 15, 1983. Incidentally, this is exactly the same day that Nintendo's Family Computer was released. The console reached minor success in that market and sold moderately well within Asia until 1985. The system was launched in New Zealand as released by Grandstand Leisure Limited, Australia by John Sands and in other countries, such as France, Italy, Spain, and South Africa. The console in its original form was never launched in North America or the UK.

The Emerson Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit console released by Emerson Radio Corp in 1982 following the release of ColecoVision. It was discontinued only 18 months later, with a total of 35 games having been released. Emerson licensed the Arcadia 2001 to Bandai which released it in Japan, and over 30 Arcadia clones exist.

The Watara SuperVision (also known as the QuickShot Supervision in the UK) is a monochrome handheld game console, originating from Asia, and introduced in 1992 as a cut-price competitor for Nintendo's Game Boy. It came packaged with a game called Crystball, which is similar to Breakout. One unique feature of the Supervision was that it could be linked up to a television via a link cable. Games played in this way would display in four colors, much like Nintendo's Super Game Boy add-on for the SNES. A full color TV link was also in the works, but because of the Supervision's failure to make a major impression among gamers it was cancelled, along with the games which were in development for it.

The APF-MP1000 is an early 8-bit cartridge-based game console released in 1978 by APF Electronics Inc. The controllers are non-detachable joysticks which also have numeric keypads. The APF-MP1000 can only be used with a color TV and comes built-in with the game Rocket Patrol. The APF-MP1000 is a part of the APF Imagination Machine. It is the successor to the APF TV Fun line of first generation consoles.

The Entec Adventurevision is a self-contained (no external monitor is required) cartridge-based video game console released by Entex Industries in 1982. One particular feature of the Adventure Vision is its "monitor." Rather than using an LCD screen or an external television set like other systems of the time, the Adventure Vision uses a single vertical line of 40 red LEDs combined with a spinning mirror inside the casing. This allows for a screen resolution of 150 × 40 pixels. Another product using this technique was produced by Nintendo in the mid 1990s – the Virtual Boy – another product which, while technically ahead of its time like the Adventure Vision, was doomed to failure in the open market.

The Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in November 1976 at the retail price of $169.95 (equivalent to $700 in 2014). It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge–based video game console, and the first console to use a microprocessor. It was launched as the Video Entertainment System, or VES, but when Atari released their VCS the next year, Fairchild renamed its machine. By 1977, the Fairchild Channel F had sold 250,000 units and trailed behind the VCS. The Channel F electronics were designed by Jerry Lawson using the Fairchild F8 CPU, the first public outing of this processor. The F8 was very complex compared to the typical integrated circuits of the day, and had more inputs and outputs than other contemporary chips. Because chip packaging was not available with enough pins, the F8 was instead fabricated as a pair of chips that had to be used together to form a complete CPU.

The Master System (マスターシステム Masutā Shisutemu?), often called the Sega Master System or SMS, is an 8-bit third-generation video game console that was manufactured by Sega. It was originally released in 1985 as the Sega Mark III in Japan and then redesigned and redesignated the Master System for release in 1986 in North America, 1987 in Europe and Japan, and 1989 in Brazil. The original Master System could play both cartridges and the credit card-sized "Sega Cards," which retailed for cheaper prices than cartridges but had lower storage capacity, while later models removed the card slot. The Master System also featured accessories such as a light gun and 3D glasses which were designed to work with a range of specially coded games.

The Amstrad GX-4000 is Amstrad's short-lived attempt to enter the games console market. The console was released in Europe in 1990 and was an upgraded design based on the then still-popular CPC technology. The GX4000 shared hardware architecture with Amstrad's CPC Plus computer line, which was released concurrently. This allowed the system to be compatible with the majority of CPC Plus software. The GX4000 was both Amstrad's first and only attempt at entering the console market. Although offering enhanced graphics capabilities, it failed to gain popularity in the market, and was quickly discontinued, selling 15,000 units in total.

The Sega Genesis, also known as Mega Drive (Japanese: メガドライブ Hepburn: Mega Doraibu?) in most regions outside North America, is a 16-bit video game console which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Designed by an R&D team supervised by Masami Ishikawa, the Genesis hardware was adapted from Sega's System 16 arcade board, centered around a Motorola 68000 processor as a primary CPU and a Zilog Z80 as a secondary processor. The system supports a library of over 900 games created both by Sega and a wide array of third-party publishers and delivered on ROM-based cartridges. It can also play the complete library of Master System games when the separately sold Power Base Converter is installed. The Genesis also benefited from numerous peripherals and several network services, as well as multiple first-party and third-party variations of the console that focused on extending its functionality. By the end of 1994, when a new generation of 32-bit consoles rendered the system technologically obsolete, the Genesis had sold 29 million units worldwide, and by the end of its life Sega had sold an estimated 40 million units.

The Epoch Game Pocket Computer is a handheld game console released by Epoch in Japan in 1984. It was one of the very few truly handheld systems to be released in the early 1980s, preceding the Game Boy by 5 years. The Game Pocket Computer used an LCD screen with a 75 × 64 resolution, and could produce graphics at about the same level as early Atari 2600 games. The system was a failure in Japan, and as a result, only 5 games were made for it. A puzzle game and a paint program were built into the system. It was powered by 4 AA batteries, and screen's brightness could be adjusted by the user. Possibly due to its failure in Japan, the Game Pocket Computer was never released in North America. The unit is extremely rare, and units on eBay can go for hundreds of dollars, when and if they turn up.

The Mega Duck WG-108 (also known as Cougar Boy) is a handheld game console that was produced by Hong Kong-based Welback Holdings through its Timlex International division and came on the market in 1993. It was marketed under various different brands worldwide including Creatronic and Videojet. It was sold for about fl 129 in the Netherlands, and for a similar price in France and Germany. In South America (mainly in Brazil), the Chinese-made Creatronic version was distributed by Cougar USA, also known as "Cougar Electronic Organization", and sold as the "Cougar Boy".

The Sega Game Gear (セガゲームギア) is a handheld video game console developed by Sega and released in late 1990 as a response to Nintendo's Game Boy handheld . It is a full colour console and was Sega's first attempt to compete in the handheld games market (the second being the Sega Nomad — a handheld Sega Mega Drive). In South Korea it is known as the Handy Gam*Boy (핸디겜보이). The Sega Game Gear is a "portable" device which was designed to address problems with Nintendo's Game Boy. It is held lengthwise at the sides (preventing the cramping of hands which plagued Nintendo's system) and has a backlit, colour LCD screen, allowing for clearer and more vibrant visuals than its main rival. Similarly to the Sega Mega Drive, which at the time was Sega's main focus in the home console market, the Sega Game Gear is derived from the earlier Sega Master System. Unlike the Mega Drive, however, the Game Gear is largely identical to the Master System, the major difference being a VDP capable of displaying palettes consisting of a wider variety of colors, and the playback of stereo sound. Game Gear games traditionally run at a smaller resolution too, although with a screen built similarily to televisions of the era, the Game Gear is fully capable of playing games in higher resolutions. Game Gears were also manufactured at a time where capacitor problems were rampant across the electronics industry. As a result, screen and audio failures are common, and fixes are not always simple.

The Epoch Super Cassette Vision (カセットビジョン Kasetto Bijon?) was a video game console made by Epoch and released in Japan on July 30, 1981.
The console used cartridges and it has the distinction of being the first successful programmable console video game system to be made in Japan. The system retailed for 13,500 yen, with games going for 4,000. It is believed, though not confirmed, that Sega and/or SNK made games for the Cassette Vision. Its graphics were less refined than the Atari 2600, and the only controls were four knobs (two to a player, one for horizontal movement, one for vertical) built into the console itself, along with two fire buttons to a player. Though the Cassette Vision was not a fantastic seller, it managed to spawn off a smaller, cheaper version called the Cassette Vision Jr. and a successor called the Super Cassette Vision. The latter was released in 1984, and was sold in Europe, with little success. Except for their failed Game Pocket Computer handheld system, Epoch never had another system released.

The Bandai Super Vision 8000 is a video game console released by Bandai in 1979 belonging to the second generation. The console can be directly connected to a TV.
This console was the last of the Bandai TV Jack console series but was completely different from the other consoles of the series. The Super Vision 8000 had a central CPU. The other consoles belonged to the first generation: they didn't feature a microprocessor, and were based on custom codeless state machine computers consisting of discrete logic circuits comprising each element of the game itself (Pong-style console).

The VTech Socrates is an educational video game console released in 1988 by VTech. The console featured a robot character Socrates, named after the philosopher. The character is visually similar to Johnny Five from the Short Circuit movies. The system featured standard wireless controllers that communicated via infrared reception. In Germany, the system was sold by "Yeno" under the name "Prof. Weiss-Alles". The graphics and sound of the games were noticeably slow, with the system often taking several seconds to complete drawing and color filling a static picture; small areas could move more quickly. There was a very noticeable delay between user input and the system responding. Response times did not seem to be affected by the presence or absence of the voice cartridge. The system was quite expensive upon its initial release; most consoles saw prices of up to $130. Due to the price and the competition with VTech's other products, including the Whiz Kid systems, the Socrates was phased out after only a few years. Today, it is considered rare.

The Super A'Can is a console that was released exclusively in Taiwan in 1995 by Funtech. Inside is a Motorola 68000, also used in the Sega Genesis and Neo Geo. Twelve games have been confirmed to exist for the system. The twelve (12) confirmed games, with an additional nine (9) protos rumored to be in existence, were released in rather large, SNES-like cartridges. Games were presented in cardboard boxes featuring flamboyant artwork and included a plastic game holder along with the instruction manual (also well presented). This matched the fun and playful design of the systems packaging. Overall game graphics and play are very similar to the Neo Geo and SNES. Bold, vibrant colors are pleasantly displayed in 2D environments. One of the best games for this system is C.U.G., a Super Mario type clone. The Super A'Can failed miserably due to utilizing outdated technology and being initially offered for sale at an exorbitant price. Very few of these systems were sold and it has been reported that Funtech Entertainment Corporation lost $6 million USD in this venture. Unsold units were disassembled and were parted out to various companies in the USA and abroad.